Kenya Dispels Reports of Lifting Ban on Plastics in Trade Talks with the US

The government has rubbished reports that Kenya is set to lift a ban on plastics in the ongoing trade negotiations with the US.

This followed a report by The New York Times alleging that there is a clause in the free trade agreement (FTA) between Kenya and the US allowing American companies to export plastics and chemicals that have already been banned in the country.

Reacting to the report, Trade CS Betty Maina stated that no such proposal or agreement has been made or ratified, insisting that the trade discussions are guided by Kenyan laws.

“No such proposal has been brought to the negotiating table. Claims in the story are neither here nor there. We will negotiate with US-guided by Kenyan laws,’’ Maina told The Star on Monday.

The New York Times in an article stated that a lobby group consisting of top American chemical makers and fossil fuel companies are pushing to have Kenya lift laws banning plastics in the trade talks between the two nations.

The publication quoted Ed Brzytwa, the director of international trade for the American Chemistry Council saying that US plastic makers are eyeing Kenya’s market under the pact.

“We anticipate that Kenya could serve in the future as a hub for supplying U.S.-made chemicals and plastics to other markets in Africa through this trade agreement,” Brzytwa allegedly said in a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Kenya banned the manufacture, importation, sale, and use of polythene bags in 2017 in line with the United Nation’s (UN) Clean Seas Initiative.

Anyone found guilty of flouting the ban risks a fine of up to Sh4 million or a jail term not exceeding four years or both. Those found using or carrying plastic bags risk a fine of Sh50,000 or a one-year jail term.